Variety: Broadway star Karen Olivo says she won’t return to “Moulin Rouge” once the musical reopens. She’s leaving her Tony-nominated role in protest of the theater industry’s silence on allegations of workplace harassment and abuse leveled against the prolific theater producer Scott Rudin.
5 comments:
Oh god. I honestly had no idea this was going on within the industry until this article. It is crazy that this was not really talked about in the news nor did I see anything about it on twitter, when I do follow a lot of people within the industry on twitter. I think it is crazy that unions and people are supposedly speaking out about this but refusing to put in Scott Rudin's name. I think things like that may seem like little things that are getting read into however I think it shows a big problem amongst these unions wanting to still maintain relations with this producer and them not wanting to put in the name to stop the name from spreading. It is good to see that big name actors and actresses are going on strike because of this continual harassment but I do not think anything will change until the people that are investing money and circulating the money take a firm stand against this harassment. If the Unions that are supposed to protect the people within the industry are hesitating taking a complete stand against an abuser then they clearly are not protecting the people they are getting paid to protect. I am happy that this is getting talked about because I have a feeling Scott Rudin is not the only person within the industry that is abusive.
Karen Olivio was right when she said the silence surrounding Scott Rudin is unacceptable. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve heard about the harassment from Rudin but I have seen posts and articles about Olivio leaving. All I could gather was that she was doing it to build a better industry. After reading this, it’s clear that he is a bad person that is actively hurting members of the theatre community and he's probably not the only one. I’m glad that she stood up for what is right and made a statement that got people’s attention, but it sucks a little that she has to be the one leaving projects and not him. I have no doubt that she will get another amazing opportunity, especially because of her Tony nomination for the show. I think the focus will be on what project she will choose to take on. I’m curious if we will hear about other big leads starting to follow suit as Broadway opens up again.
To be completely honest, at this point I should not even be surprised about hearing women being harassed at their jobs as well as “racist outbursts” because it is so commonplace these days, yet seeing it happen in my industry is still extremely disheartening. You never think it is going to be you until it is. Karen Olivo is a performer I have always admired ever since I saw her in Hamilton at the Private Bank Theatre in Chicago 2017. She is an amazing actress and is exceptionally unnerving to know that she, as many other people have, had to deal with abuse in her work place. I am so proud of her having the chutzpah to call out what is happening and I know it probably was not easy. Her speaking up about creating a safe work environment rather than getting a paycheck is commendable. I wish her all the best and I hope Scott Rudin never gets a job ever again.
I had heard about Karen Olivo leaving Moulin Rouge but I didn't realize it was related to the Scott Rudin Controversy. I think it is a very strong message that she is putting forward in her protest. I wish I could say I was shocked by all of the things coming about about Scott Rudin. He has such a large impact on the theatre industry and there is going to have to be a lot of careful considerations moving forward this. To say that we should just cancel all of his productions would cause hundreds of jobs to be lost so there has to be another approach to this. I wish that Olivio was doing more of a strike, and not just leaving the show without returning, If she and other actors were to do a strike then I feel like that would be able to make more change. But there might be something with their contracts preventing that.
I love seeing stars like this stand up for what they believe in, rather than accepting the fame and money and letting unacceptable things happen. I briefly saw a post about this on Instagram, and was confused about what had happened. Now, knowing that Scott ruin was doing these terrible things, I am really glad she left the show to stand up against him. I believe I saw something earlier today that Scott had stepped down from Broadway, which I think is the right move. Perhaps Karen will return now that he is gone? Or I suppose she should not come back because it is the fact that the entire community was hiding this from the world that makes it even worse. It is terrible that people can get away with stuff like this, especially men in an industry where women are often objectified, and men are often in power. It makes me extremely angry. I think Karen is doing the right thing and leaving a strong message, which I appreciate!
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